


don't call me kid (don't call me baby)

by seekrest



Series: Spideytorch Week 2020 [3]
Category: Fantastic Four, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Fluff and Humor, Johnny Storm is a little shit, Johnny has a crush on Spider-Man, M/M, Not Spider-Man: Homecoming Compliant, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Pining, basically: if Johnny was in the MCU during HOCO, canon nudged to the left, its just me and my whims now, shh don't tell him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25619959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seekrest/pseuds/seekrest
Summary: Johnny’s ready to leave, maybe do a barrel roll for some tourists and drum up easy good press when he sees something in the sky that catches his eye - dismissing it as an airplane only to squint when he watches the object flail about haphazardly, doing a twist in midair.It takes Johnny all of three seconds to notice that it’s not an object at all but people, shooting straight to the sky only for something that looks like a sheet to pop off another, causing the latter to immediately start to drop.“What the hell?” Johnny says to himself, standing up as he stares at the two of them.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Peter Parker/Johnny Storm
Series: Spideytorch Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1853728
Comments: 48
Kudos: 356
Collections: SpideyTorch Week 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [soperiso](https://archiveofourown.org/users/soperiso/gifts).



Johnny was having a good night for once. 

Quiet. Lonely. But still good. 

Reed and Sue were having a date night which was fine but also _not_ something he wanted to think too much about. Dating when you were married was weird but he’d heard enough of their arguments back and forth that it was either this or a meeting with yet _another_ marriage counselor. 

They were perfect for each other, Johnny thought as he dangled his legs over the side of a building - flicking his hands back and forth and playing with a little dab of fire over his fingers. It didn’t make sense to him. 

Say what you mean. Mean what you say. _Simple_. Love really wasn’t all that difficult in Johnny’s mind, not when you knew you cared about the other person. 

Ben told him that he was being too simplistic. 

“You’re an idiot” had been his exact words, playfully shoving his shoulder before lumbering off to God knows where for the rest of the night. 

Johnny couldn’t remember what smart ass reply he’d snapped back, only cause it was immediately replaced by the knowledge that he was once again alone - on a Friday night - eating his weight in kettle-corn popcorn in front of the massive television Reed had insisted on buying yet never watched to begin with.

Johnny knew it was for him, in the same way _everything_ of their life now was for him.

The move towards becoming officially linked with the US government. The move into the former Avengers tower. The move toward some kind of normalcy and routine when Johnny’s life was anything but.

What _normal_ fifteen year old regularly fought intergalactic overlords on desolate planets? What _normal_ teenager was even capable of doing so, the little flame Johnny bounced around his fingertips glowing softly in the moonlight. 

Sue had insisted on the move back - to some kind of consistency, something Johnny appreciated even if the four of them all knew it was a lost cause. Their first trip to space had ended with these crazy powers but the second, running off to fight the mess that the Avengers hadn’t bothered to look after sucked them into a time warp - one that by the time they returned to Earth’s orbit found that the world, and the Avengers, had all but forgotten about them.

Four years wasn’t that big of a deal when you’re already an adult - the financials of figuring out their new place in a world that’s been through the gamut from the bullshit the Avengers have wrought, both directly and indirectly being the biggest hurdle.

But for Johnny four years was a lifetime - the few friends he’d even kept after turning into a walking furnace all now well into their sophomore years of _college._ They were friendly enough still, but it was different now - all of them having mourned and moved forward to create lives that Johnny couldn’t even begin to try and understand even before they’d left off into space. 

It didn’t help, Johnny thought as his legs dangled, that he wasn’t even allowed to go to a real school - homeschooling being the only available option when you were officially branded a ‘superhero’ and had the opportunity to go off on some government mission at any given moment. If Sue would let him, he’d get his GED and be done with it - put himself full force into being _fantastic_ and to not even have to worry about putting on a front of trying to be _normal_. 

Johnny sighed, wondering how long he’s gonna allow himself to wallow in self-pity when all things considered - he had it good. 

What other _normal_ fifteen year old that looked like him would be allowed to fuck off at night with little supervision, knowing that anyone who tried to come against him would end up with far more than they bargained for? There was something truly empowering that came with him having powers - literally serving as a fire rod to anyone who dared to try and profile him at night, the one benefit of being a public figure being that he could wear sweats and a hoodie knowing that the minute they saw his face, he’d be let go. 

It still wasn’t fair and it never would be, but Sue allowed him this mini act of “rebellion” - if only cause she seemed to understand in a way that Ben and in some sense Reed never would that the isolation Johnny felt from his peers came long before they’d ever gone up into that ship. 

Johnny’s ready to shake himself out of this funk, maybe do a barrel roll for some tourists and drum up easy good press when he sees something in the sky that catches his eye - dismissing it as an airplane only to squint when he watches the object flail about haphazardly, doing a twist in midair.

It takes Johnny all of three seconds to notice that it’s not an object at all but _people_ , shooting straight to the sky only for something that looks like a sheet to pop off another, causing the latter to immediately start to drop.

“What the hell?” Johnny says to himself, standing up as he stares at the two of them. The first guy, a guy with _wings_ hovers before flying away - Johnny’s attention drifting away from them towards the one pummeling down to the ground at speeds that no one would be able to survive from. 

Before Johnny can even think of it he’s standing, before he can even second guess it he’s in the air - the little fire on his fingertips transforming into the full body flame that he’s known for as he rushes forward. 

In the back of his mind he can hear Reed’s disapproval, the lecture time and time again that the _Fantastic Four_ were subject to very strict regulations and were only allowed to intervene under very specific circumstances. 

Yet Johnny doesn’t think about that, his only focus on the body falling down from the sky - faster and faster until it hits the water, Johnny propelling himself as fast as he possibly can. 

By the time Johnny’s there, he can see whoever it is still struggling with the sheet all around them - Johnny taking a deep breath before diving in, the flames extinguishing only to come back in full force as he uses them to create a heat barrier around the two of them, putting his arms underneath the arms of the one in need. 

It isn’t until they break the surface and the failed parachute is gone that Johnny recognizes who it is, grunting under the weight of him as his eyes widen - using all his strength and his flames to carefully push them out of the water while not harming his cargo. 

“What the--” Spider-Man sluggishly replies, Johnny grunting again as he adjusts his grip - flying off to a quiet and empty playground. 

“Sorry, you’re-- a lot heavier than you look.”

“ _Human_ _Torch_? What are you doing--”

“Saving you. Obviously,” Johnny says, carefully depositing Spider-Man on top of a dome looking climbing set. 

“I was fine. I had it handled,” Spider-Man says, only to lift up his mask over his mouth and cough out some water - Johnny smirking before shaking his head. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t know _drowning_ meant that you had it handled. Who was that guy anyway?” 

Spider-Man coughs a few more times, shrugging before the eyes on his mask blink at him a few times and saying, “Dunno. That was…” Spider-Man trails off, shivering slightly as he blows air out of his mouth.

“Here,” Johnny says, moving so that he’s hovering a little closer to where Spider-Man is. He flinches at the flame Johnny produces in one hand, only for Johnny to raise his other hand in what’s meant to be a calming gesture. 

He concentrates on the flame, hovering his hand over Spider-Man’s arm as the flame melds over the entirety of Spider-Man’s suit, hearing the shudder of relief as it works as a protective heating layer and dries out the water. 

“Thanks,” Spider-Man says, Johnny smiling as he pulls the flame back, “That’s really cool. How do you do that?”

“Space magic,” Johnny deadpans, smiling as Spider-Man predictably laughs. 

“That’s-- yeah, that’s really cool. Thanks man.”

“Anytime _Spider-Man_ ,” Johnny says with a smile, catching the grin on Spider-Man’s face only for it to turn into a frown - Johnny tilting his head in confusion as Spider-Man mutters, “Oh great.”

Johnny’s about to ask what’s wrong when he hears it, turning over his shoulder and seeing a beam of light rushing towards them - squinting to try and see if it’s the same winged guy from before only to recognize the familiar blue of the Iron Man mask. 

“Looks like that’s my cue to leave,” Johnny says, turning back to Spider-Man who’s put his own mask all the way down. 

“You don’t have to--”

“Yeah actually I do,” Johnny says a bit more urgently, “not really supposed to interact with the Avengers you know.”

“Oh,” Spider-Man says, the white of his blinking a little faster as Johnny says, “Catch you later web head.”

Spider-Man laughs at that, Johnny smiling pushing his hands down and jetting off into the sky - just barely catching the tinny voice of Iron Man saying, “Kid, you alright?”

Johnny almost froze at that, forcing himself to fly even higher - his mind racing as he disappeared off into the night. 

* * *

Johnny couldn’t stop thinking about Spider-Man after that night. 

He knew the world had gone to hell in a handbasket after they’d left for space - which was only _right_ \- and came back to a world with a bunch of random vigilantes who were almost the B-roll of the Avengers in various parts of New York. 

Spider-Man was by far the most interesting one to Johnny, making an intentional effort to learn more about him. Unsurprisingly, there wasn’t much - a lot of his social media following being random fail compilations of Spider-Man eating it after missing a web sling or a dedicated, if not obsessed, high school kid who ran a whole feed about Spider-Man sightings. 

But like most vigilantes post-Sokovia, there didn’t seem to be anything about his personal life - Johnny wondering just how bored he really was to be obsessing over the first person he really got the chance to interact with that he wasn’t forced to because of some boring SHIELD meeting. 

The thing that fascinated Johnny the most wasn’t just the fact that Spider-Man could apparently stop a car with his bare hands or was somehow associated with the Avengers, though not in any official capacity. 

It was that Iron Man had called Spider-Man _kid_ \- a moniker that struck Johnny as interesting as much as it was revealing. 

The rational part of Johnny’s brain argued that it was just a term of endearment - Tony Stark was in his fifties, practically ancient - everyone was likely a kid to him. 

Yet when Johnny had actually been face to face with Spider-Man, or mask to face as it was, all his memory could bring back is how _small_ Spider-Man had looked, huddled into himself on top of the playground set. 

It bothered him enough that Johnny wanted desperately to know more but not _enough_ to actually ask Sue about it - not when he wasn’t even sure of his theory. Johnny needed proof but it wasn’t as if Spider-Man was on his speed dial. 

It’s that thought process that brings him to the same place he was a few nights ago - sitting on a random building like before with his legs dangling over the edge, mulling over his options. 

Spider-Man didn’t seem to have any kind of routine or schedule, save for nightly patrols in different neighborhoods surrounding Queens from what Johnny could gather - wondering if this could really count as stalking when Spider-Man was essentially a public figure, his antics being video taped and live streamed anytime someone saw him. 

He was intrigued. That’s all it was. A professional curiosity. 

At least that’s what Johnny told himself. 

* * *

When he hears the news that Spider-Man was spotted in DC, saving a group of high school kids inside the Washington Monument, it takes all his self-control not to pump his fist in the air, convinced now more than ever of his theory that Spider-Man was actually a _kid_.

What other reason would there be for Spider-Man - a hero that suspiciously only seemed to patrol during non-school hours was somehow in Washington, D.C. around the same time that a group of high-schoolers were in an elevator? 

It was reckless in a way, further support for Johnny that Spider-Man had to be a teenager - only for the sake that if anyone sat down and thought about it, the clues were abundantly obvious. Johnny ignored the possibility that it was only obvious to _him_ because he was hyperfocusing on it cause really, that wasn’t as important. 

“What’s got you bouncing around?” Ben asks, Johnny shooting him a smile as he pours himself a cup of coffee.

Sue immediately swipes it from him, Johnny frowning before saying, “High on life, Thingamabob. It’s a good day to have a good day.” 

“Don’t call me that,” Ben snipes, Johnny’s frowning turning right back into a smile as Sue takes his confiscated coffee and begins to add some kind of sugary sweetener into it - ruining a perfectly good cup of coffee. 

“I’m curious too J,” Sue says, blowing on the coffee as she studies Johnny - Johnny keenly avoiding her gaze as he grabs a piece of bread that quickly becomes a perfect piece of toast.

Almost perfect, his thumb leaving a black imprinted mark as Sue continues, “You’ve been in an especially good mood today.”

Johnny thinks back to the possible revelation that Spider-Man was an _actual_ kid - something that shouldn’t excite him as much as it does, all things considered. Johnny didn’t know his name, didn’t even know if he was even right.

But just the possibility that there was another teenage super out there was enough to thrill Johnny, shrugging nonchalantly as he shoves a piece of toast into his mouth and noisily replies, “Not my fault you guys are such a drag.” 

“Who even talks like that?” Ben grumbles, Johnny grinning as Sue shakes her head, her long braids swishing slightly as she does. 

“Don’t forget we’re having a meeting with Fury today at three.”

“I won’t forget,” Johnny says, walking backwards out of the kitchen and towards the balcony. 

“Where are you going?” Sue asks, bringing the coffee cup down. “Don’t you have--”

“Finished with my assignments. Got lots of human torching to do. People to do, places to see, you know the drill,” Johnny says hurriedly, shoving the last bit of toast in his mouth as Sue frowns.

“Johnny…”

“Bye-love-you-see-you-at-three,” Johnny says in a flash, his whole body erupting into flames as he jets off the open balcony of their residence - waving to the two of them as he flies off into the sky. 

He’d pay for that later - no doubt another lecture from Reed about “listening to authority” that he’d tune out of as soon as he got sat down for it. It’s not that he didn’t care, he knew how important it was for the four of them to stand united - their relationship with SHIELD being part of their crucial ‘adjustment back to the real world’ campaign. 

But Johnny was focused on bigger things, more important things. 

Spider-Man could be a _teenager_. 

Johnny was almost vibrating with excitement at this new information, though what he could _practically_ do remained to be seen. If he was right, the chances of Spider-Man actually swinging around the city now - at ten in the morning - were slim to none. 

For all of his curiosity, Johnny hadn’t _actually_ gone the extra step in trying to figure out the identity of Spider-Man. It was exciting to think about - the thrill of having someone your own age that _understood_. And it wasn’t as if it wouldn’t be easy to cross-check and reference if Johnny was really curious about it, particularly since Johnny could easily narrow down the list of high schools that were from New York that had been in DC that participated in National Decathlon. 

Something stopped Johnny, aside from common decency - the idea that if he _did_ get the chance to see Spider-Man again that maybe he’d share his identity out of his own free will. 

Because they were _friends_. 

It was simple, really. Easy. To the point. Johnny was used to speaking his mind long before he brought in attention as a literal flame thrower. 

He couldn’t quite figure out Spider-Man. 

Yet for the first time - at least the first time that he could freely admit to himself - Johnny realized just how much he really wanted to.


	2. Chapter 2

It’s not until a few days later that Johnny sees Spider-Man again, but not in the way he would’ve hoped. 

His phone starts going off at his desk, working on some assignment that he’d stopped really paying attention to the minute he started it - grabbing it and eyes widening when he sees what’s caused all the notifications.

It’s Spider-Man, trying and failing to put the Staten Island Ferry back together - the alert he’d set for his phone anytime Spider-Man showed up in the news going wild. Johnny stands up, quickly scrolling through the article before turning to Twitter - gaping at some of the clips. 

Spider-Man’s fighting people but what gets Johnny the shaky video from someone inside the ferry, Spider-Man using his webs to try to bring together a clearly falling apart ferry together. 

Johnny puts his suit on with lightning speed, bolting out of his room and is ready to fly out only to see Sue and Reed both staring at the massive television.

“Can we head out?” He hears Sue ask, watching from behind as Reed folds his arms together and sighs.

“Fury said that we should only be called on for major events. This,” Johnny slowly creeps across the kitchen, debating how he should make his exit, “doesn’t quite qualify.”

“Reed, those people could die,” Sue argues, Johnny backing up out of her line of sight but not before he catches the determined look on her face.

Reed to his credit doesn’t argue, nodding before saying, “I know. I’m-- you know our hands are tied.”

“What is the point of being part of these Accords if we can’t _help_ people?” Sue asks, Johnny pausing because he wants to know the answer to that too - discussions about their place in the world that he’s only been included in the most basic of senses. 

But if he ever wanted to see if he could help Spider-Man out, now was his chance to do so - creeping back into his room and closing the door, telling himself that he’d just deal with the problems later. 

He’s out of his room and into the sky in less than five seconds, flying as fast as he can towards where the Staten Island Ferry is supposed to see someone _else_ flying into the distance - slowing down when he recognizes who it is.

It’s Iron Man, _again_ \- Johnny trailing far enough behind him and guessing from the last time he saw him that he’d be headed to where Spider-Man was. But if Iron Man is aware that he’s following him, he doesn't pay much attention to Johnny - too focused on getting to his destination. 

Johnny hovers from a safe distance away, watching in amazement as the Iron Man suit shoots out some kind of devices that help propel the ferry together. 

He’s so focused on the ferry that he almost misses Spider-Man swinging away, using one of the many helicopters to propel him away from the scene to land towards the tunnel shaft. 

Johnny wants to fly forward and check on Spider-Man only to pause when another helicopter flies out from over him - dodging behind a building and hoping that his appearance so close to the action won’t be a part of the story on the six o’clock news.

For all his talk about wanting to deal with problems later, Johnny wasn’t really in any hurry to try and make life harder for Sue, much less Reed and Ben. 

Johnny watched as Iron Man finishes up whatever he’s doing with the ferry, flying over to the building Spider-Man had landed on. 

Despite everything in him wanting to know the truth, wanting to know if his theory was _right_ \- Johnny felt wrong about encroaching upon the moment, unsure of what exactly he’d be stumbling onto in the first place.

Johnny sighs, shoulders sagging slightly before he changes his trajectory - heading back to the newly named Baxter Building and hoping that no one had gotten a picture of him in the meantime.

* * *

The next few days are quiet - for Spider-Man at least. Johnny listens with faint amusement as Reed and Sue go back and forth, Ben sitting across from him as the two of them argue-but-not-actually-fight about the “Ferry incident” as SHIELD had called it.

No casualties, some property damage - a relatively benign event all things considered. But if the point of the “Fantastic Four” were to solve problems that put everyday people at risk, there was a question then of how big of a problem something had to be before they intervened.

His opinion wasn’t asked for, not because they didn’t care but because when Sue and Reed got like this - Johnny understood just as much as Ben did that their “argument” was less a discussion about the topic but really a talk about something _else._

Yet another thing Johnny didn’t understand. 

It’s not till a few nights later, another Friday night where Johnny’s home bored and alone as Tony Stark’s team move out the last of leftover shit from a few floors down that Johnny begins to wonder if they ever came to some kind of conclusion to that discussion. 

He’s in his room yet again, messing around on his phone and debating whether he wants to get a late night snack when his phone pings again - sitting up straight in bed when he sees the reason why.

Spider-Man sighted across town. Pictures of a messed up car. Livestream of a building collapsed. A blue and red figure off the side of a plane. 

Johnny’s never been more thankful for the inherent nosiness of New York tourists, picking out clues for where Spider-Man could possibly be and then just as he’s standing up, tweets about a massive explosion off of Coney Island. 

He’s in the suit and out of his window before he can think twice - a half-baked plan in the recesses of mind but more focused on the chance of _seeing_ him in person being the primary motivator. 

Johnny knows what Reed would say - that they need to make a plan, figure out what exactly they should do and when, that any intervention without proper planning would immediately put their precarious positions under even more of a microscope.

But Johnny’s beyond rationalizing what Reed would say, his only thought at the images that had popped up on his phone at the flames and the fire surrounding the area.

Johnny has no idea if Spider-Man’s suit was fire-resistant, clearly not having the capacity to be water-resistant or buoyant considering the way they first met. He pushes himself faster, his eyes widening the closer he gets to Coney Island. 

The flames are everywhere - a rush of panic flowing through him at the possibility of seeing a crumpled body dressed in a red and blue suit among the wreckage. Johnny swallows that down best he can, reminding himself that he’s seen worse. He’s been to space. He’s fought against aliens and should’ve died time and time again.

Yet the possibility that _Spider-Man_ might be one of the burning embers scattered across the beach does nothing for Johnny’s heart rate, quickly scanning the area as he flies over. 

Not for the first time, Johnny wishes that he had some kind of capacity to use more than just his eyes - Reed’s off-hand comment about trying to find some kind of comms that wouldn’t immediately _melt_ when Johnny flamed up coming back to him. He’d have to pay more attention to his solutions, a mental note for later - all his attention on combing through the debris.

“Spidey! Spider-Man, you out here?” Johnny calls out, hearing the panic in his voice and trying to stave it down. There’s a small part of him that feels silly, wondering if maybe the feeds all got it wrong or people just _thought_ they saw Spider-Man. 

As soon as he thinks it, he sees a man on the ground - his heart skipping a beat before he recognizes him, the wrecked wings and the tell-tale sign of webbing all around him giving Johnny pause.

“Great, now I got the Four on my ass,” the man grumbles, Johnny coming to a stop just above him - hovering in the air as he looks around. 

“Where’s Spidey?” 

The man snorts, shaking his head as he says, “Beats me. Kid left me here about ten minutes ago.”

Johnny looks up and around, emboldened by the idea that Spider-Man wasn’t just here but was still _alive_ when the man says, “You gonna get me out of this?”

He looks back down before smirking. “Nah man. If Spidey webbed you up, you deserve it.”

“You gonna leave me for the cops?”

There’s nothing inherently antagonistic in his tone but Johnny pauses - a thousand things running through his head, both Sue and Reed’s faces at the forefront of his mind.

On the one hand, this wasn’t his fight. Reed would have a conniption if he found out that he was out here, much less interfering with whatever it is that Spider-Man was doing. He was basically part of the Avengers, the very thing that Reed had been very careful to _not_ be a part of. 

He shouldn’t mess with whatever solutions that Spider-Man had figured out, not even in this wildly unofficial capacity - especially as he’s dressed in his suit and Johnny can pick out the Avengers logo on the crate that the winged guy is webbed to.

On the other hand, all Johnny can think about is the special brand of vigilantism that Spider-Man metes out - guessing that Spider-Man likely wasn’t wrong in handing this guy over to the cops but still wondering if there wasn’t some other way. 

Before Johnny can answer the man, he sees something out of the corner of his eye - a small red and blue figure off into the distance that brings his focus back to the task at hand.

“Sorry man, I gotta go,” Johnny says, barely hearing the guy’s aggravated sigh as he jets back off into the sky.

He sees Spider-Man now, curled up against the top of the Cyclone - noticing that he’s tense and that he’s wearing a different kind of suit now as he comes up closer. 

It’s the suit that Johnny used to see all the time on YouTube, not that he would ever admit to looking the videos up - hovering over Spider-Man before landing softly on the landing a few feet away from him.

Spider-Man is still sitting, his chest heaving slightly as Johnny extinguishes his flames - kneeling down till he’s at level with Spider-Man.

“You doing okay?” Johnny asks, eyes roving over Spider-Man’s body before looking back to the ridiculous mask he has on. 

He doesn’t _look_ like he’s bleeding but for all Johnny knows, he’s wrecked from the inside out - the thought occurring to him that if Spider-Man had been on the plane like that video grab had shown he was that he was damn near indestructible. 

“Yeah, I’m-- what are you doing here?” Spider-Man says, his voice squeaking slightly as Johnny’s eyebrows raise - Spider-Man coughing a few times as he clears his throat. 

“Did… is your team--”

“No, no team,” Johnny says, putting a hand up and shaking his head. “Just me.”

“Oh,” Spider-Man says, the hand that’s resting on his knee moving up to lift up his mask once again - a mirror of how he looked the first time they met, coughing a few times as Johnny sits down across from him. 

“What are you doing?” Spider-Man asks, leaving his mouth exposed as Johnny shrugs - crossing his legs underneath him as he says, “You looked kind of lonely up here.”

Spider-Man laughs at that before it turns into a cough, Johnny’s smile falling slightly as he says, “Seriously spidey, you okay? Is there someone I can call or…”

Spider-Man tenses at that, Johnny noticing the way his jaw goes straight and his lips press together. He can’t see his eyes and _damn_ if he doesn’t wish he could, but Johnny can imagine that there’s something set about them - watching as Spider-Man grinds his teeth for a second before saying, “no. There’s no one.”

Johnny doesn’t quite know how to answer that, everything within him wanting to ask a million questions for why Spider-Man hadn’t called Iron Man or why he was in an old suit even if he could guess to why from how Spider-Man answered. 

For the first time in his life, Johnny just waits a moment - Spider-Man grinding his teeth together before sighing.

“But thanks. You know, for asking.”

Johnny immediately smiles, a flutter in his chest that he doesn’t think too much about as he says, “Course. We gotta stick together.

“We?” Spider-Man asks, sitting up slightly.

“Heroes you know. Tough shit,” Johnny says, biting the inside of his cheek before saying, “I don’t know about you but it’s hard trying to focus on school when I got better things to do you know?”

Spider-Man pauses at that, Johnny’s eyes zeroes in on his lips as they firmly press together before turning into a wry smile - a huff escaping him as he says, “Stay in school, Torch.”

Johnny rolls his eyes, feeling a little more emboldened as he says, “Next you’re gonna tell me you’re the new face of those awful Captain America PSAs.”

Spider-Man laughs, the sound making Johnny’s smile grow wider - the flutter in his chest pounding even more so as he tries to swallow down a feeling he doesn’t want to give anymore attention to.

“Nah, I got a reputation to uphold,” Spider-Man says with a smile, Johnny playfully rolling his eyes as he says, “Oh yeah sure, your _reputation_. How could I forget?”

Spider-Man’s mouth twists, Johnny barely holding back a laugh as he says, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Johnny shrugs, going to stand. “Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man right? At least that’s what all those notes you leave around the city day. You know that’s technically littering right?” 

Spider-Man’s mouth drops open before he cracks a smile, Johnny extending his hand out to help him up.

Spider-Man just looks at it for a moment before taking it, Johnny’s heart working double time at the feel of his hand in his - calloused palm and thumbs, his body heat a cool neutral.

It surprises Johnny just as much as it seems to surprise Spider-Man, flinching a little even as their grip tightens - helping Spider-Man up till he’s standing.

“Whoa,” Spider-Man huffs, looking down to Johnny’s hand.

They both seem to realize at the same that they’re hands are still intertwined - Johnny and Spider-Man both loosening their grip and hands falling away as Johnny grins.

“Sorry, I’m— I run really warm now. Everyone else is freezing so yours were just—“

“Yeah,” Johnny interjects, “I’m hot now so it’s— nice change of pace. Your hands aren’t cold either.”

“You’re _hot_ now huh?” Spider-Man says with a grin, Johnny laughing as he says, “I mean I was _always_ hot but you know,” he snaps his fingers to produce a small flame, “now in 3-D.”

“Nice. Do you just practice this in the mirror or—“

“Yep. Fifteen minutes every day. Gotta keep my adoring fans entertained,” Johnny says, gesturing vaguely to their surroundings and pantomiming as if he was waving to an invisible crowd.

It gets the intended reaction from Spider-Man who laughs, Johnny smiling at him till they fall back into a comfortable silence. 

“Thanks. For uh, checking up on me,” Spider-Man says. A beat. “Twice.”

“You’re welcome. Don’t think I’ll make it a habit though. _I_ got a reputation to uphold too you know,” Johnny says with a wink, his heart hammering in his chest as Spider-Man grins.

“Oh yeah what’s that?”

“That’s for me to know and for you to wonder about endlessly,” Johnny says with a dramatic sigh, smiling before saying, “you good though? Need a lift or—“

Spider-Man shakes his head, pulling the mask down over his mouth as he says, “No, no, no, I’m good. No uh, no flying for me.”

Johnny laughs again, nodding towards the wreckage. “I get it. You sure you can get home in that thing?” He asks, gesturing towards the suit he has on that up close, looks like a hoodie and sweatpants.

Spider-Man looks down at himself before nodding, lifting his head back il as he says, “yeah. I’m sure.”

They fall into an awkward silence before Spider-Man finally says, “so. I’m gonna go home now.”

“Okay. Where’s that? 

Spider-Man shifts uncomfortably, Johnny smiling before saying, “I’m just messing with you. Keep your secrets. See you around, spidey.”

Spider-Man flinches at that, Johnny kicking himself over the head for his nerdy references biting him in the ass - _damn_ Ben and his Saturday marathons - as he flames up, shooting himself up in the sky before looking back down to Spider-Man.

Spider-Man’s just stares at him for a moment, Johnny wondering if he was messing up his chance to say something. Only for Spider-Man to give a mock salute, sending a hand off and swinging away.

Johnny feels warm all over - a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach with the recognition that it had nothing to do with the flames all around him as he propels himself into the sky and back towards the Tower. 

_Fuck_ , Johnny thinks. _I think I like Spider-Man._

* * *

For his little stunt at Coney Island, which unlike flying around by the ferry did _not_ go unnoticed by a few cell phone cameras, Johnny’s grounded. It’s not the worst thing, being grounded in a multi-million dollar tower wasn’t a struggle by any means. What Johnny hated most was the look of disappointment Sue had after they talked, less because of any punishment but rather with the knowing that he was hiding something from her. 

Johnny knew he could talk to Sue about anything, _had_ always talked to her about everything - but this wasn’t something he wanted to share, not least of which because he hated admitting it to himself. 

Of all the guys he could have a crush on, it had to be Spider-Man - the one person who would be unattainable even if he wasn’t a super-powered vigilante. 

Johnny doesn’t have to think too much about Spider-Man because he seems to ‘grounded’ on his own, no sightings or blips on social media for a solid three weeks - enough time that Johnny’s own grounding came and went and Spider-Man was still nowhere to be found. 

He’s not sure what exactly caused Spider-Man to disappear like he did, both looking forward to flying around town again to figure out a way to ask about him without sound like a stalker while also hating the fact that he’s still so enamored with Spider-Man to begin with. 

It was stupid, the _stupidest_ crush - Johnny kicking himself for letting his curiosity about whether Spider-Man was a teenager push him forward when the truth was just staring at him straight in the face. 

_Maybe I really am a dumbass_ , Johnny thinks with a wry smile, flipping his phone around in his hand, sprawled out on the couch and staring up at the ceiling - something mindless playing on the massive television as Ben wanders in.

“You still moping around here?”

“Fuck off lumpy,” Johnny says with a smirk, hearing Ben snort as he plops down on the chair across from him.

“Lumpy? I would’ve gone with rocky at least. Losing your spark, Storm.”

Johnny laughs at that, catching his phone in his hand looking up to Ben. “ _Nice_ one, man.” 

Ben smiles, Johnny going to say something more when a voice calls out over the intercom.

“J? Ben? Can you guys come down to the conference room on 12?”

Johnny sits up at the seriousness of Sue’s voice, Ben immediately looking solemn as they both scramble up - making their way to the elevator. They ride down in silence, Johnny feeling the nerves rushing through him as he wrings his hands together. Ben nudges him slightly, Johnny glancing to him and sensing from the look on his face that no matter what was going on - that they’d be okay. 

The doors ding and then open, the two of them making their way down the hallway and through the offices that still held decorations from Stark Industries. 

“Thought Reed would’ve gotten all this shit out of the way by now,” Ben grumbles, Johnny feeling a little too nervous to answer as they make their way to the conference room. This feels a little too much like the minutes to what eventually brought them up into space, the second time around, remembering what it felt like when Sue had called both he and Ben in for the trip that had changed his life even more than the first one. 

Before Johnny can panic anymore, they’re at the conference room - Ben opening the door without a second’s thought as the two them walk in.

The conference room itself still has furniture leftover from Stark, only for Johnny to freeze when he sees none other than Tony Stark himself - sunglasses on even if they’re inside, standing just a few feet away from Sue and Reed, the latter of whom gives a tight smile to him and Ben as they walk in.

“Johnny, Ben. Glad you guys are here.”

“You called us here,” Johnny deadpans, hearing Ben snicker behind him as Reed’s lips just press together. 

“As I was saying,” Reed says, turning his attention to Tony, “I think a collaboration between the two of our teams would be of particular interest to SHIELD.”

“Yeah, I don’t play well with others,” Tony says dismissively, adjusting his sunglasses before nodding to his side, “but I’m told that having like-minded people is good for development. Helps team-building, connections, all that jazz.”

“I’m sorry, what’s happening?” Johnny asks, looking confused as Reed says, “There’s a lot we need to discuss but for now, Stark Industries and the Future Foundation is interested in a… collaboration.” 

“How?” Ben asks, Johnny feeling just as bewildered as Ben looks - a feat considering his facial features were made of rocks. 

Tony waves his hand around, “That’s details for another day. What I wanted to discuss,” Tony moves to the side - Johnny’s eyes widening as he takes in the person next to him, “is my intern.”

Johnny blinks, taking in the skinny white boy standing next to Tony Stark - eyeing him up and down before turning back to Sue.

“Your _what_?”

“Tony Stark has an internship program it seems,” Sue says, looking just as skeptical as she sounds, “and in the interest of collaboration it seems that Reed,” she shoots a look towards Reed, Johnny holding back a laugh when he realizes that whatever’s been sprung on him was just as much of a surprise for her, “has decided that we should work together.”

“Starting with you,” Reed says, carefully avoiding Sue’s stare as he looks back to Johnny, “working with Tony Stark’s own personal intern.”

“Why?” Johnny asks, the kid in front of him looking just as uncomfortable as Johnny feels as Reed says, “a meeting of the minds, if you will. Kids hang out right?”

“Reed,” Sue says with a sigh, Johnny unable to hold back the laugh that erupts out of him - just as the kid in front of him cracks a smile.

“I wouldn’t know. New to the whole mentor… thing,” Tony says, adjusting his sunglasses before taking them off - throwing his arm around the kid beside him and saying, “This is Peter Parker. Smart as a whip. Should be of good use to whatever shenanigans you guys get up to here now that we’re gone.”

He pushes Peter slightly in front of him, Johnny watching the mildly horrified expression on his face twist into a grimace until he looks to Johnny and does the dorkiest wave that Johnny thinks he’s ever seen. 

“Hey uh, hi.”

Johnny glances to Sue as if to ask if this was some kind of joke only to see that his sister is still shooting daggers at Reed - the latter of which still carefully avoiding her gaze. 

There’s a dozen things that run through his mind, least of which was the idea that this had to be the most ridiculous thing that he thinks he’s ever been a part of - which is saying something considered he’d flown off into space twice and can literally burst into flames. 

But there’s something immediately disarming about Peter, seeing from the look on his face that he’s just as uncomfortable, just as amused and just as completely baffled by whatever is happening - almost looking as if he’d been picked up off the street and dragged here from the shabby way his shoes look and the oversized jacket he’s wearing. 

It’s not exactly how Johnny wants to fill his time, though from the way Reed’s looking it’s not as if he’ll have any choice in the matter - telling himself that while this was weird as hell, at least it would be a good enough distraction from his Spider-Man obsession - especially since he’d disappeared to God knows where in the last few weeks. 

Johnny puts on a smile, taking a step forward and extending his hand. 

“Hi. I’m Johnny.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Han! They were the one who had the galaxy brain idea of Johnny being the one to save Peter from the water in HOCO. They're also just an overall lovely person so of course, a little tribute to them <3 
> 
> Special thanks to blondsak and gruoch for always ~~enabling~~ encouraging me and my whims. And a MASSIVE thank you to spideyfics who did a TON of heavy lifting in helping me figure out timeline shenanigans and placement. 
> 
> Fusing the best bits of everything I love (comics and MCU) into one fic?? WHAT ABOUT IT!
> 
> I love it when people scream at me in the comments. [Come hang out with me on tumblr. ](https://seek-rest.tumblr.com)


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